Have you ever heard something like this, “Being an American doesn’t make you a Christian?” I have. Many times. I've even said it myself. I get the meaning behind the statement, but as I’ve gotten older, I grow more curious about why this statement needs to be made in the first place. Are pastors and Christians in other countries saying similar things? I highly doubt the phrase “Being an Iranian doesn’t make you a Christian,” is said. It doesn’t need to be. So why have I heard this phrase for so long in the United States?
Let’s jump right into it: many of us need to realize and actualize our independence. I am not speaking of independence from the British, either. I am talking about becoming independent of the good ol' USA. The chances are very high that your Americanism has influenced your Christianity. In fact, I would dare say that there are many Christians who conflate worshipping Christ and worshipping America (or an image of her in their head) on a regular basis. But if Scripture is applicable for all people and at all times, what in the world does being American, or any other nationality, have to do with our Christianity?
Before I go further, let me make a few things clear. First, I am not anti-government. I firmly believe that God ordained government (Romans 13:1-7), has specific purposes for it listed in the Bible (Psalm 82:2-4), and works His plan through it (Jeremiah 18:7-10; Daniel 4:35). I know and understand that the government can be a blessing or a terror to a nation’s citizenship. Second, because of these things, I believe that we can and should be thankful when a government is just. Alternatively, I think it is appropriate to lament when a government is unjust. Third, I am in no way advocating for Christians to throw off the rule of government. In fact, the Bible pretty explicitly forbids that course of action (Romans 13; Titus 3:1-2). Basically, I do not agree with this lady.
Lastly, please understand that I am not anti-military, a pacifist, a flag-burner, or on board with dishonoring the memories and sacrifices of those who came before me. You can get right out of here with all that mess. My dad served in the U.S. Marines, and I am about as patriotic as they come. I cry watching videos of men and women returning from deployment the same as everyone else does. I stand for the national anthem and pledge allegiance with my hand over my heart. I have no problem doing so and I am overwhelmingly grateful to have been born in the United States.
But, and take a deep breath for this, I am a citizen of heaven first. In the highest levels of government, our nation condones and celebrates the murder of tens of millions of babies. This is child sacrifice on a scale that the ancient Canaanites could not have imagined. By the day, our government desecrates the past and passes laws approving of nearly every abominable wickedness warned of in Scripture. So why is our patriotism so wrapped up in our Christianity? If one really looks at the culture of America today, do we even need the reminder “American does not equal Christian?”
At best, we are so strongly tied to patriotism because we genuinely believe that this country is the last great gasp of freedom in the world. At worst, we are doing it blindly, failing to see that our allegiance to America has overshadowed our allegiance to Christ. Maybe we are celebrating America as an idea. I don’t know. But let us consider for a moment headlines like this: “Dr. Robert Jeffress: Targeting religious liberty -- Why no faith is safe under the Biden administration.”
For those that don’t know, Dr. Jeffress is a pastor in Dallas. According to the internet, his net worth is $18 million. Here’s a link to an article aptly titled, Trump’s Apostle. The article includes several quotes from Dr. Jeffress, including this one about President Trump shutting down the government to try and force funding for the border wall: “Well, he’s doing exactly the right thing in keeping this government shut down until he gets that wall, the Bible says even heaven itself is gonna have a wall around it. Not everyone is gonna be allowed in.”
Now, if you find yourself a-hootin’ an a-hollerin’ in agreement with that statement, you need to make your love relationship with Christ independent from your love relationship with America. You may think that the border wall is a great idea or you may think it is all kinds of inappropriate. I don’t care (Disclosure: I am fine with the idea). If you are a Bible-believing Christian, though, it should enrage you that someone used God the Father’s heavenly design as a proof-text for President Trump’s border wall. But it wasn’t just anyone that said this. It was a pastor.
According to the Trump’s Apostle article, “Jeffress is the senior pastor at First Baptist Dallas, a 13,000-member megachurch that’s one of the most influential in the country,” but “he’s known best for appearances like this one: he’s often on Fox & Friends or Hannity or any number of sound-bitey segments on Fox News or Fox Business.” A pastor that is best known as a political spokesperson. This should not be possible. This should not be sought after.
If one is honest, the mentality of Dr. Jeffress has become the standard for much of American evangelical Christianity. Unfortunately, this can be traced all the way back to the Revolutionary War, during which pastors specifically preached politically-charged messages, twisting Scripture to suit their needs the same way that Jeffress has done. In his book, The Religious Beliefs of America’s Founders: Reason, Revelation, and Revolution, Gregg Frazer writes, “The fusion of liberal democratic theory with theistic rationalism on the part of patriotic preachers is evident in an analysis of their sermons” (Frazer, 2012, p. 81).
Frazer points out the method of interpreting Scripture at the time by quoting Charles Turner, who wrote in 1773, “The Scriptures cannot be rightfully expounded without explaining them in a manner friendly to the cause of freedom.” Frazer corrects this, rightly stating, “although spiritual freedom from sin is a very important biblical concept, the cause of political freedom (which is what Turner is referring to) is of little consequence in the Bible. In fact, the Bible never discusses political freedom” (Frazer, 2012, p. 81, emphasis in the original). In some cases, the hermeneutics were so askew and “the principles of liberal democracy had so replaced those of the Gospel that they became a prism through which Scripture was read” (Frazer, 2012, p. 81).
In 1986, the beloved Christian scallywag, Patch the Pirate, did a full show called The Great American Time Machine, where children travelled through time to unlock the past secrets to America’s greatness. Now, full disclosure time again, I enjoyed the Patch the Pirate episode, and I thought they balanced the Christian message well with the patriotic one. But the point I am making is larger than that. I am afraid that we have tied our patriotism so closely to our Christianity that they are virtually indistinguishable. As the political landscape in America mirrors our wicked culture ever more closely, the panic buttons for Christians that grip the flag as tightly as their Bible will wear away from use. They will scream, along with Dr. Jeffress, “no faith is safe!”
We have forgotten that permission for our faith never came from a government and it cannot be taken away by one. We do not remember that in Christ we are “free indeed” (John 8:36). We cannot fathom that we are “strangers and pilgrims” on this earth because we have stopped desiring "a better country, that is, an heavenly,” (Hebrews 11:8-16). We have done this because far too many of us believe the United States to be the “city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). It is not. It never was. Not even at its very best.
If we cannot disentangle our Christianity from our patriotism, one or the other (or likely both) will become shipwrecked as our disillusionment grows. So what am I suggesting? I am suggesting that we be patriotic. Give thanks for the country in which we live. Praise the things from the past and present that are praiseworthy and speak against the things that are not. But I am also suggesting that our Christian faith grow and stay independent of our national outlook.
I wonder how the New Testament martyrs would view the millions of Christians who, in the past six years, have been more evangelical and mission-minded sharing their thoughts on a president than they have ever been sharing the Gospel of Christ. If they saw your t-shirt, Instagram post, Facebook profile picture, bumper sticker, tattoo, yard sign, or hat that said, “I kneel at the cross and stand for the flag,” I think they would be very confused as to what one has to do with the other. And that’s because the answer is nothing.
Sources:
Bleznak, B. (2021). Robert Jeffress net worth 2021, age, height, weight, biography, wiki and career details. MD Daily Record. https://mddailyrecord.com/robert-jeffress-net-worth-girlfriend-wife-kids-height-weight-age-gay-bio-2021-2022-2023
Frazer, G. (2012). The religious beliefs of America’s founding fathers: Reason, revelation, and revolution. University Press of Kansas.
Jeffress, R. (2021). Dr. Robert Jeffress: Targeting religious liberty -- why no faith is safe under the Biden administration. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/religious-liberty-faith-biden-administration-robert-jeffress
Mooney, M. J. (2021). Trump’s apostle. Texas Monthly. https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/donald-trump-defender-dallas-pastor-robert-jeffress/
Weill, K. (2021). Pizzeria owner Pauline Bauer mounts truly bizarre defense for Jan. 6 riots. The Daily Beast. https://www.thedailybeast.com/pizzeria-owner-pauline-bauer-mounts-truly-bizarre-defense-for-jan-6-riots
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